Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-10-10
KNIGHTS AND PRELATES.
POWDERLY GIVES AN ACCOUNT OF
HIS CHURCH NEGOTIATIONS.

Answer Why the Man with the Red Ha
Advised Rome to Let the Knight
Aione-some Advice from the Arch
bishop To the Assembly.
MINNEAPOLIS. Mimi, Oct 10 The Letter
prepared by General Master Workman Pow
DERBY upon the attitude of the Roman Catho
lie church toward the knights of Labor, anr
which has l",en awaited with more than or
binary interest by the members of the o;del
Throughout the country was completed Sun
day night, and will be presented to the gen
eral ASSEMBLY IL reads ~ follows:
In the month of October OF last year Car
dinal Gibbons called the archbshops o
America together to discuss serious matter,
| aIrpartaining To the church in this country
the principal among these being the relation
ship of the order OF the knights of I.ai,o
with secret societies Professionals and Catho
lies became deeply interested in the attitud,
which these twelve powerful preiates
who are at the head of the American hier
| archy, would take with reference 10 the labol
problem.
1t had been represented to the eccleSiastica
authorities that the knights were seeking to
revolutionize generally accepted fundamental
! principles by claiming for labor the right 10
dictate TO capital, and in this manner were
| seeking TO bring into full force popula
sovereignty III opposition to private rights;
| that they were following the example of the
French Socialists and arrogating to them
| selves the right of ordering strikes whenever
| il suited their purposes and by these strikes
| cause the loss OF life and the destruction OF
| private property; and that should the order
prosper with its pernicious principles it
would inevitably lead its members and the
working classes generally from inSubor,inIa-
ton to anarchy and Socialism II the princi.
pies of the Knights OF Labor were ever to
prevail among the people, faith and reigion
would he forever destroyed in our country.
THUS spoke the enemies Of organized labor
Mr.. Powderly then goes on to say that the
cardinal requested him TO go to Baltimore To
| give information as to the purposes and aims
OF the knights, and that he selected John W
Hayes and Thomas 0'Relly to accompany
him and that the committee submitted to the
cardinal that:
1.-The unifying force of the order of the
Knights of Labor consists in the breadth
and purity of the principles ineulcated, and
the cultivation of intellectual, moral and
social happiness. We are like unto band
OF brothers engaged in holy cause which,
far from absorbing, wonld strengthen our
love of country and would intensity, elevate
and ennoble our patriotism. In our order
composed as 1t Is OF various European nation
alities, one of the most gratifying features is
the rapidity with which these become as
simulated and welded together, forming
united whole, strong and indissoluble
tree is known by its fruits men by their
deeds, and systems by their results. Believ-
ing firmly in the Righteousness of our cause,
we ask your eminence to examine the records
of our order and the records of our promi-
nent members who have for years upheld our
principles 1t is our hope, as it is our desire,
to purge the order Of the violent element
the element Of radical men who want to
found society OF athelStic anarchy"
During the interview, which was of long
Duration Cardinal Gibbons said in substance:
After what we have inst learned, the pres
ent condition of the order is to us an unmis-
taxable indication that the control of your
organization still rests with the conservative
element, and is guarantee that there will
be no rash and dangerous departures from
those features of its policy which command
the forbearance and respect, if not the ap-
proyal, of the entire country. With prudent
leaders and wise general policy your vast
and rapidly increasing army of wage work
ers is destined to exert a tremendous influ-
snce in the social and political affairs of the
country. We now infer that the objects of
the knights of labor are praiseworthy and
In no way opposed to the views of the Catho-
lie church The Catholic prelates will de-
clare i'll favor of labor"
The cardinal then goes on to claim. with
considerable elaboration, that the Roman
Catholic church is the protector of the la
horer But it is justly watchful Of secret or
CARNATIONS, as such secrecy raises the Just
presumption of something that will not bear
the light, adding that the Roman Catholic
church has no secrecy about it The church
condemns anarchism, and the cardinal SAYS
the man who endeavors to undermine the
laws and institutions OF this glorious country
deserves the fate of those who laid profane
hands on the ark of God, and in this connec-
ton dsnounces Socialism. He expresses full
faith in the maintenance of the friandliness
between the church and the order so long as
you keep free from affiliations with danger
Gus associations and devote yourself to the
fulfilment of your mission. The church
Plays not the tyrant. plants no faith in hlDod
Nor bears destruction on her chariot wheels
But stoops To polish sucror and redress
And builds her grandeur on rh- pubic good
Mr.. Powderly chen says: His eminence
intimated to your committee his intended
journey to Rome, promised to explain the
purposes OF the organization at the Vatican
and requested permission to pledge the order
to the maintenance of lawful and orderl,
behavior. How this prince of the church
fulfilled his covenant made with us, and how
he championed our cause in the Eternal City
we know full we'll; and the expression OF
pontifical good will for the order Of the
knights of Labor which came to us last
March was due solely to the earnest and in
teiigent advocacy of our cause by Cardinal
Gibbons His eminence knew well how to
express and communicate the impulses of his
own inspired soul; and our grateful and pro
found thanks are due to him for the extraor
binary favors he has bestowed upon our or
der in overlooking measure.
In proof of this Mr. Powderly quotes what
the cardinal reported to the propaganda of
the holy see to the effect that the question was
one of the most important Of the day, and
V.
cardinal said, was not hostile to religion and
nothing in the obligation prevented outsiders
from learning of its affairs The general
master workman had semi him a copy of the
constitution, and told him that if the pastors
of the church found anything reprehensible
and would point it out he Ar Powtlerlyl
would recommend the proper notifications:
and the other officers had made the same de-
clarations. The political parties We'd with
each other in obtaining for the knights those
rights the work people were so clearly ELL
titled to- for it was a fact that the toilers had
no inclination to resist or break the laws, but
simply to obtain their just and equitable
rights by legislation. The cardinal says:
The president of the United States told me
personally but a short time ago that he had
then under consideration a law tending to
remedy certain social grievances, and that he
had just had a conference with Mr. Pow
derby, Of the K. of L. and the congress of the
United States, following the advice Of the
president is now considering measures tend
ng to ameliorate the condition of the work
ing class. The foundation for MANY of
these complain is is openly acknowledged
proceeding in his report, the cardinal saws:
ut seems to me plain that the holy see can
not entertain the proposal to condemn the or
der of the K of l.
"First-Because such condemnation does
not appear to be justified, either by the letter
or by the spirit of its constitution, of its
laws Or by the declaration of its heads.
"Second-That such condemnation does
not appear necessary in view of the transient